1.31.2013

There is just something so warm about gold. I think that's why gold has made such a big come back this past year or so. And what space needs more warming up than a kitchen?
I'm currently crushing on gold hardware in the kitchen, especially when mixed with stainless steel appliances. Mixing metallics has been frowned upon in the past, but today is totally accepted and encouraged!

1.30.2013

I'm currently planning the condo layout for a school project, which involves planning adjacency and spatial relationships. This is primarily done using an adjacency matrix and bubble diagrams.

Bubble diagrams represent rooms in approximate scaled size, but more importantly determine location with other rooms in the space. They are meant to be fast, messy, exploratory, and easy to crumple up and start over. My prof recommends completing them on trace paper for this very reason!

Bubble diagrams are on the NCIDQ exam, so if you want to be a licensed interior designer, you need to know them!
Even though they aren't intended to be pretty, I think there is something absolutely darling about these diagrams. Don't you?

1.29.2013

We all know that Emerald Green is the 'it' colour for 2013, as named by Pantone.
I heard recently that the most common partner for this hue is blue, which totally makes sense. Sapphire and Emerald together create a regal and rich palette.

My favourite pairing for Emerald, however, is pink and gold.
Here is a mood board to show you how well this combo works:

Because red is green's compliment on the colour wheel, and pink is a tint of red, this totally works!

Erika used this colour scheme in creating her pinboard, and it looks great!:

1.28.2013

There is something so peaceful about a Buddha head. With the eyes closed in a meditative state, a Buddha head radiates a serenity and sense of calm. Also, the bump on the top of the head (or ushnisha) represents superior wisdom. How cool!
Buddha heads are a popular styling item in decor right now, and it's easy to see why. They represent a global aesthetic and bring a feeling of travel and worldliness to any space!

Of course, here is mine, which you saw last week when I talked about my Ikea Expedit:

You guys had some great tips for my cord dilemma! Hiding those will be my next project.

Also, on Friday I went to the Interior Design Show in Toronto! It was so much fun. I even had a chance to say a quick hello to Sarah Richardson and Tommy in between takes (they were filming)! I snapped a picture of Sarah in action. It was really neat to see her in front of the camera - she is such a natural!

I didn't want to bother them for a picture together while they were working, hopefully I'll get a chance in the future! I grew up watching Sarah's shows and consider her a huge inspiration and a major influence in my decision to become an interior designer!
Were any of you at the show?!

1.25.2013

Hi peeps, I'm Nicole from LiveLaughDecorate and I'm thrilled as punch to be chillin here with Tiffany this morning. Let's dish shall we? Among my favorite pieces of furniture is this little Louis XV Salon chair that now holds court in my office.

This little gem once had a twin. Seven years ago, I rescued the two from a guaranteed trip to the trash. Battered, bruised and broken, they were the casualties of a bitter divorce of a dear friend. I happily took custody, knowing right away they could be things of real beauty (so, so sorry that I have no before photos).At the time, I had a very contemporary space but I didn't care and just knew the chairs would fit in somehow. I fell in love with the purple fabric combo on a trip to the fabric store. Again, there was no purple to speak of in my condo but I didn't care. Purple it would be. I had the frames painted white for additional drama and two new beauties were born. Alas, I sold one to a client a few years ago because it blended perfectly with the bedroom I'd designed for her daughter. The other has been the perfect pop of color and pizazz to my home office and I happily hold court in it every day.

That's all folks. Thanks so much Tiffany for allowing me to reminisce about one of my favorite pieces. Brought back so many memories!

Thanks so much for sharing Nicole! I've always wanted a Louis chair! Yours is so fun! Happy weekend :)

The price range on these sweaters were 60-120...not completely outrageous but still out of my budget, and now all sold out (except in size 8! Hurry & you can still get the 'bonjour' sweater here, and it's on sale!).
Luckily for me, Forever 21 came through once again and I just ordered this adorable sweater for less than $30!

1.23.2013

Since moving in, I've slowly been gathering pieces to add a little extra style to my shelf, which doubles as a TV stand in my studio apartment. Last week I promised to show you guys the entire shelf, so here it is! It's still a work in progress (I think I need a footed bowl, or
something similar), and I definitely need to find a solution for those
unsightly cables and wires, but I love all the bright and fun elements!

It really is no surprise to me that theEXPEDIT unit from IKEA is so popular! Its clean lines and simple shape make it easy to style and make your own. Such a versatile piece of furniture.
Do any of you own the Expedit? I'd love to see how you have it styled! E-mail me a picture and maybe I'll do a feature!

1.21.2013

I grew up in a house with a country kitchen and white appliances, so I'm a bit nostalgic for them. Don't get me wrong, I love me some stainless steel appliances. But, every now and again I feel a bit sorry for the bad rep white appliances have been stuck with over the past decade or so. What does everyone have against white appliances anyhow? I've heard them called 'outdated'..but I'm not entirely convinced.
After all, there are also some real head turners on the market today that look contemporary due to their clean lines and design. Nowadays, white appliances can be sleek, shiny and slim, perhaps making you rethink your next appliance purchase.

^ I first fell back in love with white appliances during this episode of Sarah 101, when Sarah and Tommy used white appliances to blend quietly into the cabinetry. Love the crisp lines of this oven. Can you believe that white range hood?

^ This one might be my fave of all. The appliances look relatively standard and affordable, but don't detract from the room's beauty one bit! In fact, I think that the greys in the Carrara marble backsplash stand out more than they would against a similarly grey-toned stainless oven.

Truth be told, I'd still probably choose stainless steel nine out of ten times, but it just goes to show you that sometimes sticking to a classic is, well...classic! Poor white appliances need someone to stick up for them now and again (plus, I think finger prints might be less noticeable!).

I wonder if avocado green or harvest gold will ever make a comeback. My Babcia (Polish for Grandma) still has one of those beauties.

1.18.2013

I'm happy to join Tiffany for her Favorite Furniture Friday series! It really made me go around my house and analyze what pieces I like the best, and I was hard pressed to come up with only one. I love my mom's antique round tilt top table, and I still love my Mid Century solid teak dining room table, but my new favorite is this sofa I got last year from Room and Board. It is my third white sofa in 25 years, so I'm not afraid of white since it has survived my kids, my animals, red wine stains and so on. I will always have a white sofa, and have never tired of it.

This is the Hawthorne, 85" long and in the Doss microsuede fabric. It is super comfortable and so versatile.

I will add a 2nd favorite furniture piece and that is my glass coffee table that I found at Salvation Army for $40.00. It has solid brass hinges and is 1/2" glass top and bottom.

Thanks for having me Tiffany, and I look forward to following your design projects this term! Best of luck! Come see us at Powell Brower Home!
Nancy

I just love the velvety look of Nancy's sofa!I agree, I can't get enough of white sofas. I was really nervous about keeping one clean but surprisingly it has held up really well. And what a great deal on that coffee table. Thanks for sharing Nancy!Happy Weekend lovies.

1.17.2013

Yesterday, in my guest post for Michaela Noelle Designs, I shared my love of F.Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby'. I loved this classic novel when I first read it in highschool, and loved it even more this time around now that I have an English Degree under my belt. I also can't wait for the movie! I predict that Leo is going to be amazing and that the film is going to inspire some trends in design this year! My brother and his girlfriend gifted me this beautiful copy for Christmas, and I just can't get enough of the lovely cream and bronze cover:

I got quite a few compliments on this copy, and a few questions as well, so I thought I would share the information with you all. Coralie Bickford-Smith is the talented designer behind the book cover. She has, in fact, designed art deco inspired black, gold and white book covers for an entire Fitzgerald series, and each one is drool worthy:She has also created beautiful and timeless clothbound covers for many classic literature works from Penguin Classics, including my personal fave book of all time "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte. Have any of you read it? Take a look at how pretty these clothbound babies are:

My goal is to collect one of each and read them all. How beautiful would these look on a shelf in comparison to your typical paperback?! I've seen the sets sold quite pricey, but you can find them individually on Amazon for great prices (around $16 a piece for many of them).

They can be tricky to find, so use the ISBNs when you are looking for them on amazon!

I just love classic literature! It's why I chose English as my first major and I love that these books fuse good reading with my second major, good design.

xox

ps. A special thanks to Emily from Once in a Blue Room, who first introduced me to these beautiful books!